Disney sued over allegations that it illegally spies on children through apps

August 9, 2017

The house the mouse built is facing a small spot of bother with news that a California woman has lodged a class action lawsuit claiming that The Walt Disney Co., Disney Electronic Content Inc. and partners are illegally spying on children through their range of apps.

San Francisco mom Amanda Rushing filed the class action suit in the U.S. District Court in Northern California late last week, claiming that Disney apps were gathering personal information and tracking online behaviour of children in breach of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The act that imposes certain requirements on operators of websites or online services directed at children under 13 years of age.

Rushing specifically alleges that when she downloaded the “Disney Princess Palace Pets” game for her child, she didn’t know that personal information would be collected and used to market to her child elsewhere online and that she wasn’t asked to give her permission.